Lin Xi abruptly pushed Duan Yiheng away, standing awkwardly to the side, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet. Qin Yang felt a burning sensation on his neck, as if his head were about to fall.
"It's alright, Qin Yang is one of us," Duan Yiheng comforted Lin Xi, earning a glare from her. Qin Yang, now considered one of them: "..." "You can leave now," Duan Yiheng said to Lin Xi, no longer hiding his gentle tone. "I have something to say to Qin Yang."
Qin Yang glanced at Duan Yiheng, wondering if he was going to silence her. Lin Xi, naturally, couldn't wait to disappear from Qin Yang's sight, not daring to look up as she passed him. Qin Yang stared at Lin Xi's retreating figure, his eyes frozen, unable to process what he was seeing. Duan Yiheng tapped the table:
"How long are you going to keep watching?" "It's not that I'm being nosy, boss," Qin Yang said, no longer in the mood for work reports. "What exactly is your relationship with Miss Lin?" This concerned his future, so he naturally had to find out. Duan Yiheng:
"...From now on, you'll be my boss's wife." Qin Yang was stunned. Was he serious? So rejecting Miss Tan was for Miss Lin's sake? But weren't they siblings? No, they weren't related by blood. After returning to her workstation, Lin Xi couldn't help but glance towards the CEO's office.
She only saw Duan Yiheng speaking, and Qin Yang nodding repeatedly. After Qin Yang left, she fiddled with things at her workstation, seemingly very busy. She didn't know what Duan Yiheng and Qin Yang talked about; Qin Yang's attitude towards her was the same as always, he didn't ask anything.
Lin Xi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. During the lunch break, Duan Yiheng resent the photos of fireworks he had taken the night before to her. Lin Xi had a folder on her phone about Duan Yiheng, containing all the photos related to him.
She stared at a photo of fireworks at a wedding banquet for a long time, seemingly lost in thought. From the angle of the photo, she could almost imagine Duan Yiheng raising his hand, head tilted back. For a fleeting moment, she saw a hint of envy and expectation in his eyes.
Just as she was lost in thought, her phone rang. It was Duan Mingxuan. Lin Xi answered without hesitation. "Xiao Xi, Dad's unusually free tonight. He said he'd take us to Jingheji for dinner and asked me to let you know so I can pick you up from the company?" "No."
Lin Xi immediately refused, then asked, "Who else is coming?" Duan Mingxuan: "My mom. It's just the four of us. It's been so long since our family ate together." Lin Xi fell silent, glancing at Duan Yiheng through the glass partition.
Although it was after get off work hours, he wasn't resting; he was still working on the documents at hand. Qin Yang had been coming and going many times. Zheng Jizhong was Duan Zheng's man. Duan Zheng had time for his family, but that family didn't include Duan Yiheng. "I'm not going."
Lin Xi's tone was calm. "I'm not feeling well. Could you apologize to Uncle Duan for me?" "Xiao Xi, my dad specifically made time for me. Are you really going to refuse him?" Lin Xi still said, "I'm sorry, Mingxuan, I really'm not feeling well."
Duan Mingxuan softened his voice: "Where do you feel unwell? I'll take you to see a doctor." Afraid he would ask again, Lin Xi said, "I'm on my period. I don't need to see a doctor. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now." Duan Mingxuan was quite annoyed and immediately called Duan Zheng.
Lin Xi hadn't expected that her simple refusal would attract Duan Zheng. That afternoon, the father and son talked in the office for nearly two hours. Lin Xi understood that Duan Zheng must have come about Zheng Jizhong's matter.
The glass was closed, so Lin Xi couldn't see what was happening inside. After waiting for a long time, Duan Zheng came out with a grim expression. It seemed they had clashed. Duan Zheng didn't leave immediately but went to Lin Xi's office.
Lin Xi immediately stood up, somewhat awkwardly. Glancing at the calligraphy on the wall, Duan Zheng suddenly chuckled softly, "Your calligraphy skills haven't declined over the years. When I taught him, his writing was crooked and messy."
Lin Xi's mouth gaped slightly in surprise. She hadn't expected that Duan Yiheng's calligraphy was taught by Duan Zheng. When she was little, she and Duan Mingxuan had played hide-and-seek and accidentally wandered into Duan Zheng's study. She hadn't seen anything before Chen Baiwei scolded her and sent her away.
She had always known that Duan Zheng was skilled in calligraphy, but she had never seen his handwriting. Judging from Duan Zheng's demeanor, it must have been a warm and happy time. But for Duan Yiheng, all the happiness of his childhood was the root of his current pain.
If you never had it, then you never had it. But Duan Yiheng clearly had it, and in the end, it belonged to someone else. "I happen to be free today. It's been a while since we had dinner together," Duan Zheng said to Lin Xi. "Would you like to come with me?" Lin Xi shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Duan, Mingxuan called me, but I'm not feeling well. You should go with Aunt Wei and Mingxuan." Duan Zheng wanted to ask her about Duan Yiheng, and hearing her say this, he naturally frowned.
"You live in the West Building because of your aunt. She does have her faults, and it's normal for young people to have a temper, but not going back to live there isn't good for your aunt's reputation, is it?" Lin Xi didn't know how to answer and bit her lip slightly.
"Go back to get beaten up again?" Duan Yiheng blocked the doorway of the secretary's office, staring at Duan Zheng with unfriendly eyes. "Now you care about your reputation? Why didn't you care about your reputation when you were beating people up?" Duan Zheng choked, turning to glare at Duan Yiheng: "Is that how you talk to me?
Xiao Xi used to be very obedient, but ever since she lived with you, she's become completely rebellious." It was a cliché, and Duan Yiheng was tired of hearing it. Lin Xi was about to retort when Duan Yiheng stopped her with a look. He looked at Duan Zheng and said, "You know perfectly well that the purpose of this dinner party isn't entirely pure. If you have any questions, you can ask Lin Xi now, or I can let you ask me when I get back to my office." Duan Zheng, his intentions exposed, snorted and left the secretary's office. As an elder, Lin Xi couldn't refuse to see him off. Qin Yang raised his hand and said, "I'll go." Lin Xi had no choice but to stop. After Duan Zheng left, Lin Xi turned to Duan Yiheng: "So you knew Uncle Duan's purpose." Duan Yiheng scoffed: "That's all he's good for." Lin Xi looked at him expectantly and said:
"When I first joined the company, he hinted at it to me, but I didn't agree, and I didn't tell him about you either." "I know," Duan Yiheng said. "He just asked you to go out to dinner?" Lin Xi hummed in agreement:
"Duan Mingxuan called me, but I already declined." "That's not like you. You usually don't refuse invitations from elders." Duan Yiheng asked her, "Why did you decline?" "I didn't want to go." Lin Xi lowered her gaze.
Duan Yiheng bent down slightly to accommodate her height and asked gently, "For me?" Lin Xi looked up, not answering his question directly, but asking, "Are we going to dinner?" "Yes." Duan Yiheng chuckled. "I'll take you to a new place." "Where?"
Lin Xi asked, puzzled. Duan Yiheng said, "I'll go with your car. You'll find out when we get there."